Breast milk offers several advantages over manufactured formula as a food source for infants. It is well known that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that women breastfeed their infants for at least one year. During this time, it is advantageous for the breastfeeding woman to have garments that facilitate breastfeeding, and breast pumping when a woman cannot nurse her infant. While many women are able to nurse their infants directly from their breast, there are many reasons a woman may need or choose to pump milk for her child.
Many women re-enter the workforce soon after childbirth and want to continue breastfeeding. Other women would like to pump their milk to give to the infant when they are uncomfortable or unable to directly nurse their babies. For many reasons, many mothers use a breast pump. As is well known, breast pumps (manual and electric) use a conical pump funnel that is in direct contact with the breast to pump milk from the breast. The funnels must be held in place over the breast during the pumping process, otherwise they fall off when suction is lost.
Several brassieres and other garments have been developed that hold the funnel to the breast so that the mother does not need to hold the funnels while pumping (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,094,217, and 6,227,936). Many of these garments do not effectively hold the pump funnels in place, are uncomfortable, or are impractical for daily wear. There is currently no garment that allows the wearer both to pump hands-free, and nurse her infant through the use of several detachable layers that cover the breast area. Additionally, no garment that allows for hands-free pumping and nursing is comfortable and practical for daily wear currently exists.
Thus, there is a need for a garment that is either a bra or a tank that a woman can wear throughout the day that allows for hands-free pumping and allows the woman to breast feed, while providing comfort and discretion.